Eels
Most eels are easily kept in a large aquarium, although several species such as the Blue Ribbon Eel should usually be avoided. With any moray eel care must be taken to secure the lid as one of the most common causes of death is escaping from the tank, and onto the floor.
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The leopard moray eel, dragon moray eel or Hawaiian dragon eel, Enchelycore pardalis, is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the Indo-Pacific oceans from Réunion to the Hawaiian, Line and Society islands, north to southern Japan and southern Korea, and south to New Caledonia, at depths of between 1 and 60 m. Its length is up to 92 cm. This eel is characterized by its narrow, curved jaws, vivid red stripes on the head, and elongated tubular nostrils.
This eel inhabits coral and rocky reefs, and is common in warm-temperate waters. It is chiefly nocturnal; because of this and its preference for cryptic habitats, it is seldom seen. It feeds primarily on fishes and small cephalopods.
This species is usually referred to as the leopard moray, referring to its specific name pardalis.
The laced moray, Gymnothorax favagineus, also known as the tesselate moray or honeycomb moray, is a species of moray eel.
Gymnothorax miliaris is a Moray Eel from the Western Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 70cm in length.
The green moray, Gymnothorax funebris, is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the western Atlantic from New Jersey, Bermuda, and the northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil, at depths down to 40 m. Its length is up to 2.5 m.
The green moray is uniformly dark green to brown. It is a benthic and solitary species occurring along rocky shorelines, reefs, and mangroves, usually found shallower than 30 m. Due to its large size and aggressiveness, the bites of this moray are particularly dangerous. It feeds mainly at night on fish and crustaceans.
It is marketed fresh and salted, although large individuals are cigua-toxic.
The ribbon eel, Rhinomuraena quaesita, is a species of saltwater eels, the only member of the genus Rhinomuraena of the Muraenidae (Moray eel) family of order Anguilliformes. What is now known as Rhinomuraena quaesita also includes the former Rhinomuraena amboinensis. R. quaesita was used for blue ribbon eels and R. amboinensis for black ribbon eels, but these are now recognized as the same species. The ribbon eel is native to the Indian and Pacific oceans.
The ribbon eel is an elegant creature with a long, thin body and high dorsal fins. The ribbon eel can easily be recognised by its expanded anterior nostrils. Juveniles and sub-adults are jet black with a yellow dorsal fin, while females are yellow with a black anal fin with white margins on the fins. The adult male are blue with a yellow dorsal fin.
The ribbon eel grows to an overall length of approximately 100 cm (36 in), and has a life span of up to twenty years. The ribbon eel is the only moray eel that is not gonochoristic.
The snowflake moray, Echidna nebulosa, is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the Indo-Pacific oceans from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Society Islands, north to southern Japan and the Hawaiian Islands, south to Lord Howe Island, and throughout Micronesia. Also found in the eastern Central Pacific from southern Baja California, Mexico, and from Costa Rica to northern Colombia, at depths of between 2 and 30 m. Its length is up to one m.
The snowflake moray is found between rocks and corals of intertidal reef flats, and also in shallow lagoon and seaward reefs. It feeds mainly on crustaceans.
Coloration is a white body with two rows of large dendritic black blotches, the black spots between blotches become irregularly linear with age. The eyes are yellow.
The snowflake moray eel is a very commonly kept saltwater eel. They are very hardy and well-suited to aquarium life. Up to 36" in length (while 28" is more common in captivity), the snowflake moray eel requires an aquarium larger than 30 gallons with a tight-fitting lid, as these eels (and all eels, for that matter) are escape artists and can fit through surprisingly small holes in aquarium lids. They are carnivores, readily accepting just about any meaty foods, including krill, shrimp, silversides and octopus meat. Unless already acclimated to frozen foods, this animal will likely need to be fed with live ghost shrimp when first acquired. Weaning can be accomplished over time. The feeding of freshwater feeder fish (goldfish, rosy reds, etc) will likely cause liver disease if fed to the eel, so they must be avoided.
The snowflake moray eel is not safe to keep with shrimp, crabs or lobsters, since crustaceans are their natural diet. However, they are safe to keep with most other invertebrates, including coral, starfish, anemones and sea urchins. Very small fish may be consumed, so think twice before keeping a snowflake eel with small fish like damselfish. Compatible tankmates for the snowflake moray eel include other relatively large, aggressive fish, such as lionfish, tangs, triggerfish, wrasses, and possibly even other snowflake moray eels if they are both introduced to the tank at the same time.
The zebra moray, Gymnomuraena zebra, is a species of saltwater eels, the only member of the genus Gymnomuraena of the Muraenidae (moray eel) family. It is found in the Indo-Pacific oceans from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Society Islands, north to the Ryukyu and Hawaiian Islands, south to the Great Barrier Reef, in the eastern Central Pacific from southern Baja California, Mexico and from Guatemala to northern Colombia, including the Galapagos Islands. Its length is up to 1.5 m
The zebra moray has close-set pebble-like teeth used for crushing hard-shelled prey, and a rounded snout. It is a secretive inhabitant of sandy and rocky bottoms, crevices and ledges of seaward reefs. It feeds primarily on xanthid crabs, but also on other crustaceans, molluscs and sea urchins.
Coloration includes close-set narrow dark bands, giving rise to its common name.